


Static in the Sound

by dee-light (DraloreShimare)



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Lincolnshire Poacher station, Numbers Station, spy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-30
Updated: 2014-09-30
Packaged: 2018-02-19 08:11:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2381117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DraloreShimare/pseuds/dee-light
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even the static in the signal can't quite disguise the voice...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Static in the Sound

Even the static in the short-wave signal can’t quite disguise the voice. John has been waiting for a communication for days, listening to the radio each evening, radio humming eerie music into his ears. But not now, now it’s Sherlock’s voice that reads the numbers out to him.  
  
"Three, nine, seven, one, five. Three, nine, seven, one five." The pattern for message type, then the tones signalling the beginning of the communication. "Six, six, four, seven, five…Six, six, four, seven, five… One, nine, two, seven, four… One, nine, two, seven, four… Nine, two, zero, two, eight…Nine, two, zero, two, eight… Seven, eight, four, nine, four…"  
  
His pen scratches across the lines as he writes the numbers carefully on the sheet of paper, paying close attention, double-checking his work when each number is repeated. Too soon Sherlock’s voice stops, and the end-of-message chimes go off. And then the eerie music begins again.  
  
John sighs, switching the radio off, hand lingering on the dial a moment longer than necessary, as though it connects him to Sherlock. He straightens his shoulders. No time to think about that now. John translates the numbers, reads and re-reads the message.  
  
Later, he burns the paper in the wastebasket; an efficient way to destroy the evidence that John Watson, alias James Morstan, is a spy.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone wants to listen to a recording of the Lincolnshire Poacher station, audio can be found [here](https://archive.org/details/ird059). The numbers are taken from that specific recording.
> 
> Lincolnshire Poacher ran from roughly the mid-70s to 2008.
> 
> A ficlet I wrote in my [tumblr](http://otterystmarymorstan.tumblr.com) window.
> 
> Title is from lyrics by Seabound.


End file.
